Textile drafting apparatus



April 19, 1960 Tosl-uo KAWABATA 2,932,858

TEXTILE DRAFTING APPARATUS INVENTOR Filed July 12, 1957 L ATTORNEY 5 United States Patent v V TEXTILE DRAFTING APPARATUS Toshio Kawabata, Kanazawa, Japan Application July 12, 1957, Serial No. 671,476

4 3 Claims. 01. 19-130 This invention relates to a textile drafting apparatus and is more particularly directed to a drafting apparatus of the type in which a textile sliver that is undergoing a drafting operation is subjected to confinement and frictional forward feeding action by a plurality of slidepieces which reciprocate forwards and backwards in outof-phase relation.

According to this invention, four slide-pieces which are movable forwards and backwards in out-of-phase relation are arranged on one level, and the central two of the pieces are provided with a groove therebetween, while the outer two of the pieces are provided respectively with projecting portions inserted in said groove so as to define therein a passage for a textile sliver, and the sliver that is undergoing draft is confined and is urged forwards by these slide-pieces during its progress through the passage. An object of this invention is to provide an improved drafting apparatus in which a textile sliver can be given desirable confining and feeding action during its progress. Another object of the invention is to provide a novel drafting apparatus which can be used without detriment to the strength and character of a yarn and also can be fed or threaded without causing a sliver to be fiutfed out. Another object is to provide an apparatus which is simple and durable in construction, smooth in operation, easy in both preservation and management, and is especially suitable for long draft. A further object is to provide an apparatus in which the slide-pieces are protected when, owing to the breaking of a sliver during the operation thereon, the front roller has the sliver coiled thereabout increasing the diameter of the roller and the top ends of the slide-pieces strike against the surface of such a roller, and further wherein the ends of the pieces can be brought to a point very close to the nip of the front rollers so as to decrease the possibility of damaging the yarn and improve the character of the same. Other and further objects and features of the invention will be made clear by the following description of the embodiment shown on the acompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of the apparatus of this invention,

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken along the line A-A in Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the same from the front side thereof, and

Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing a central and outer slide-piece of the apparatus.

Referring now more particularly to the accompanying drawings, wherein like and corresponding parts are designated by similar reference characters, numerals 1 and 1a are a pair of back rollers, and numerals 2 and 2a are a pair of front rollers. Between these two sets of rollers, a holder frame 4 holding four slide-pieces 3 is provided and is fixed to a holder arm 5 by means of bolts 6. These four slide-pieces 3 are arranged on one level and are so held by said frame 4 as to be slidable along the direction of a sliver S. The central two of the slide-pieces 3 are provided with a groove 7 therebetween, while the outer 2,932,858 Patented Apr. 19, 1960 two of the pieces 3 are provided respectively with projecting portions 3a, of which the top ends are inserted in said groove 7 and are pressed downwards by springs 8, and thus a triangular section of passage having the surface to be contacted or engaged with the sliver S is formed by those four slide-pieces 3. The holder frame 4 is provided with an axis 9 on which four swingable arms 10 are swingably mounted, and these arms 10 are urged in one direction by their respective springs 11 so that nylon-made projections or rollers 12 mounted on the top ends thereof are pressed against the surfaces of their respective cam-wheels 14 which are mounted on an axis 13 in out-of-phase relation. These four arms 10 are provided with four plate-springs 16, each of which is fixed at the lower end thereof, holding a distance piece 15 therebetween, to the corresponding arm 10 together with a splint 17, and is engaged at the top end thereof, leaving a space 18 from the arm 10, with a hole 21 made in the underside of the corresponding slide-piece 3. In order that a sliver may easily be introduced into the passage, a small gap 19 of about 0.2 mm. is formed between the two projecting portions 3a, and additionally each slide-piece 3 is provided with one or two tapered portions 20 at the rear end thereof as clearly shown in Fig. 4. These tapered portions 20 also prevent a sliver from being fluffed out.

When, in this apparatus, the cam-wheels 14 are rotated and thereby the swingable arms 10 are swung forwards and backwards, the slide-pieces 16 are given such outof-phase reciprocating motions of about /3 inch stroke that each motion comprises relatively slow forward motion and relatively rapid backward motion, and thus the sliver S fed from the back rollers 1 and 1a is given a confining and forward feeding action during its progress through the passage formed among the sliver-engaging surfaces of the slide-pieces 3. It is desirable in this case that the forward motion of the slide-pieces 3 is at least as fast as the feeding speed of sliver by the back rollers and, besides, the number of the pieces which are in forward motion exceeds at any time that of such pieces which are in backward motion. Further, the friction between the sliver S and the slide-pieces 3 is desirable to be very small. Thus, the sliver S will never be dragged by the slide-pieces which are in backward motion and will be prevented from being fluffed out, and so a good and desirable drafting operation can be expected. If, during the operation, the sliver S is snapped, the front roller 2 or 2a is often coiled with the sliver and is increased in diameter thereby. If, in this case, the top ends of the slide-pieces 3 strike against the surface of such coiled roller and the resistance thereto reaches a certain limit, the plate-springs 16 bend to incline towards the spaces 18, so that by such buffer action of the springs 16 the motions of the swingable arms 10 are not wholly transmitted to the slide-pieces 3, and thereby the slide-pieces 3 are protected from damage thereto. The splint 17 reinforces the plate-springs 16 and also provides the initial force for pushing the plate-spring 16 backwards. When the passage is to be supplied with a new sliver, the gap 19 and the tapered portions 20 makes the introduction of the sliver easy. The tapered portions 20 also prevents the sliver that is undergoing operation from being fluffed out. The movement of the slide-pieces 3 can be maintained up to a point very close to the nip of the front rollers so as to decrease the possibility of damage to the yarn and improve the character thereof.

What I claim is:

l. A textile drafting apparatus having a mechanism for confining a textile sliver during its progress, which mechanism comprises four slide pieces arranged on one level, the innermost pair of said pieces being provided with a groove therebetweeu, the outer pair of said pieces 3. each being provided with a projecting portion inserted in said groove of said innermost pieces defining therewith a passage for the textile sliver, said projecting portions being spaced apart providing a small gap therebetween and means for reciprocatingsaid slide pieces forwards and backwards on said level in out-of-phase rela-.

tion. a

2. In a textile drafting apparatus, a mechani'sm for confining a textile sliver during its progress comprising four slide pieces arranged on one level, the central pair of said pieces being provided with a groove therebetween, the outer pair of the pieces each being provided with projecting portions inserted in said groove of said innermost'pieces defining therewith a passage for the sliver, a driven cam wheel, four swingably mounted arms which are swingable (forwards and backwards through contact aeeaeee g 4 T. I with said cam-wheel, and four plate springs each of which is fii'zed at the lower end thereof to one of said arms leaving a space'therebtween, and at the top end thereof engages with one of said slide pieces for moving the same.

3. A textile drafting apparatus according to claim 1, in which each slide piece is provided with at least one tapered portion at the rear end thereof whereby a new sliver can be introduced'over said tapered portions and 30 between said gap into said groove.

References Cited in the meet this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Battin et a1 ..:Apr. 9, 1940 2,626,431 Abbott Jan. 27, 1953 

